And that's the beauty of it
by Dragoneyes-99
Summary: Vega and Cammy both receive a new mission to retrieve important blue print documents. However, they don't know that their objectives are suspiciously similar. The Shadaloo assassin and the Delta Red Agent are in for a surprise...
1. Chapter 1

The full moon shone as a jewel in the night sky. Stars twinkled above and in the distance the winking lights of an airplane moved swiftly through the air. Beyond the forest he could see the immense Mount McKinley, the famous mountain of Alaska.

Vega stood upon the rooftop of a quiet village, basking in the glow of the silvery rays of the moon, letting it glint off the claw at his side. Although the full moon wasn't very convenient while on a job requiring stealth, Vega did love it.

The moon represented beauty, but also distance and coldness. It hid away during the day, but let its magnificence be seen during the night. It wasn't that Vega compared himself to the moon. No. He, Vega, surpassed its splendor as he surpassed all human beauty. But he admired the moon nonetheless. It made him all the more aware that there was none like him and, looking up, he allowed himself a moment to indulge.

Finally a dark cloud crossed before the moon, plunging the night into deeper darkness. It was time to move, get on with the job.

With deft elegance, Vega climbed down the building, landing softly on his feet. Putting on his mask, lest the branches might mark his face, Vega moved into the vast and darkened forest at the edge of the village.

Bison's assignment was clear, though its execution was, of course, up to Vega. He was highly whimsical, or at least, Vega pretended to be. It gave him more leeway to get away with things and Bison knew better then to demand anything of his finest lieutenant. Vega operated best when he could express his own creativeness.

This time he was to break into a newly discovered S.I.N. complex, located within this Alaskan forest. Even with the all the recourses that Shadaloo had to offer it was still a great feat to find its location. Gathering intelligence was not on Vega's top list of things he liked to do, but it was necessary to get to the things he did like to do: killing and maiming the less fortunate. And everyone in Vega's eyes was, of course, less fortunate.

Bison had found out that S.I.N. had somehow been able to make a copy of the Shadaloo headquarter blueprints. In his rage he had killed the bearer of the bad news, even though the poor man hadn't even been on guard when the theft had happened.

When Bison had calmed down enough to think it over he had sent for Vega. Vega was to find the S.I.N. complex, break in, find the blueprint copy and destroy it. Witnesses were not allowed to live.

Vega prided himself on being stealthy, like the snake tattooed on his arm and body. Dart in, strike out, kill and leave.

Underneath his mask a smile crept up his thin, cruel lips. Yes, he would enjoy this assignment. It was a glorious opportunity to showcase his extraordinary abilities. And of course, he would always allow his victims the opportunity to gaze at his beautiful face in awe. And then…

…he would tear them apart with his claw.

* * *

Cammy White stretched out on the couch and yawned. It had been a busy day. In the shopping center she had run around trying to buy presents for her friends at Delta Red, her cat and herself. In a few days' time, New Year's Eve would arrive and she really looked forward to it. The coming festivities made her feel part of a family. It made her feel human.

She was just about to go to bed when her cellphone rang. Cammy frowned and checked the caller ID. It was Colonel Wolfman. She answered immediately.

"Cammy White sir."

"Agent White, you need to come to our mission room immediately. I'll explain everything when you're here. Oh, and do take some extra warm clothes with you. You're going to Alaska."

"Yes sir," Cammy replied and, without questioning this strange summons, hung up. She then made another phone call to make sure that Felix, her cat, was well cared for while she was away. Then, after packing the bare necessities, she left.

The mission room was quiet, but well lit. Colonel Wolfman stood staring out the window, his hands clasped behind his back. He turned when Cammy entered and directed her towards a chair.

"Please, have a seat. Thank you for coming so soon."

While Cammy sat down, Wolfman turned back towards the window. The room had a good view of London city and it was spectacular to see. Cammy however, didn't even look outside to enjoy the vista. When it came to receiving missions she was all professionalism. Patiently she waited for the Colonel to explain.

"It has come to our attention that the organization known as S.I.N. has gotten hold of a blueprint copy of our secret training facility here in England. How they came by it is a mystery, but that doesn't matter. The copy needs to be destroyed."

Wolfman paused and pursed his lips in thought. "I should warn you though", he continued. "It might be possible that Shadaloo has also discovered this and therefore sent an agent to steal our blueprint copy. It would be very bad for us when both organizations have the lay-out of the facility. So be careful."

Cammy stood and saluted. "Yes sir."

Colonel Wolfman turned and smiled warmly. "Good, your plane is already waiting. The rest of the information for this mission is on this USB stick. On board of the plane you will find a secure laptop. Make sure you read everything thoroughly. Do you have any questions?"

"No sir," Cammy replied. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will. Good luck and make sure you're back before the fireworks start."

Cammy took the stick from Wolfman and quickly left to catch her plane.


	2. Chapter 2

When Vega finally found the S.I.N complex he had had more than his share of nature. He didn't like forests to begin with, but now he absolutely abhorred it. Branches snagged at his hair and the incessant buzz of insects never ceased. He really had to compensate for that by killing a few extra people.

But killing was not made easy for him. Yes, there were enough guards patrolling the terrain to sate his appetite, but they left gaps in their routine which Vega could use to gain entrance instead. He had to go out of his way to attack anyone and Vega decided that it was too much trouble to do so.

It was laughable how easy it was to vault over the stone wall unseen. These S.I.N. people were full of arrogant confidence. Vega smirked when he reached the building and slipped inside. There it became even more apparent that the security of the place was lacking. Not severely so, but it was lacking nonetheless. And the more he thought about it, the more he felt this was by design. Ever the distrustful one, Vega decided to hurry.

He knew he had the right chamber when he saw it. It was an office room with a plethora of documents lying on the desk. A prominent painting hung on the wall. Vega rolled his eyes. There had to be a safe behind that painting. How classic and how foolish. Now he was sure that something was not right.

Suddenly he picked up a sound outside. Someone was trying to be very, very careful while opening the door. _Interesting_, he thought. Vega quickly hid and raised his claw in anticipation. He was more than ready.

* * *

Without too much trouble Cammy was able to get to the S.I.N. structure. There were a few guards patrolling the perimeter, but they weren't overly concerned it seemed. Once in a while a searchlight swept across the forest so that any intruders might be spotted.

Cammy scoffed at the security. She wasn't one to brag, but getting into this complex would be easy. She counted the seconds that the searchlight lit the forest and memorized the path that the guards patrolled. A window of opportunity was easily found. When she was sure of herself she left the cover of the trees and sped towards the stone wall and vaulted up.

She had studied the data that Colonel Wolfman had supplied her in the airplane. She knew the layout of the complex. It was hexagonal, with an entrance to the north, east, south and west. Those four entrances led to a square inner corridor, which in turn gave access to the inner chambers. While the outer chambers housed sleeping quarters, storage rooms and more, the inner chambers contained the more important rooms. And that was where she needed to go for the blue prints.

She ran towards the entrance, dodging more searchlights and guard patrols. When she finally made it inside she headed straight for the inner rooms. The door was unlocked and she slipped inside. She instantly spotted the large painting on the wall and went to investigate. And indeed, behind the painting was a safe. Cammy grinned. Some people just made it all too easy.

She set the painting on the ground and went to work on the combination of the lock. It took a few tries, but finally the lock clicked and she could open the safe. A neat stack of paper lay inside and she took it out.

While rifling through the stack of documents Cammy kept listening to any sounds. She was highly alert and worked as quickly as possible, but she couldn't find the damn…ah! There it was! With a triumphant smile Cammy pulled the blue prints of the Delta Red headquarters out.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find the blue prints," a soft, velvety voice said mockingly. "But I'm afraid you can't have them though."

Cammy was a highly trained soldier, and had, thanks to her origins, better than average abilities. She wasn't, however, prepared for this surprise. It was only her iron discipline that stopped her from jumping out of her skin. She knew that silky voice all too well. She turned, cursing herself for her failure to notice him.

Vega was leaning casually against the frame of the door. How long had he been standing there observing her work?

A slow, sensual smile crept up his thin lips. His mask was nowhere to be seen, but his dangerous claw was firmly attached to his arm. Vega moved his weapon to point at the other side of the room. "Move away from the table my dear."

"If you think I would just hand them over you don't know me well enough."

Vega smirked. "I might just surprise you Killer Bee. Now be a good girl and leave the blue prints on the table."

Cammy winced at the use of that name, but otherwise didn't bite. She had closed that chapter of her life. Instead she replied: "Over my dead body," and took up a fighting stance.

"And here I was hoping I wouldn't need to mar your pretty face." Vega murmured. "Pity." He took a step towards her, sinuous and predatory. Claw lifted just a fraction in anticipation of the coming fight. Cammy moved back until she was standing fully behind the table. "Aren't you forgetting something important Vega?" she taunted.

Vega narrowed his eyes but continued to move forward. "And what might that be?" he hissed.

"Your mask." Cammy supplied helpfully.

For a fraction of a second Vega's forward movement faltered and his hand moved to grab his mask. It was precisely the reaction Cammy had been hoping for. With a hard push she shoved the table to a distracted Vega, turning it over and nearly knocking him down. Instead, Vega sprang over the table, and, claw leading, went for Cammy's throat. She ducked, allowing the Spaniard to sail past, and narrowly avoided being gutted.

Vega landed in a crouch, slipped his mask on and whirled around to face his adversary.

"You're _so_ not getting my headquarters blueprints," Cammy growled and prepared for an assault of her own.

That comment stopped Vega a second time. He lowered his claw just a little. "What do you mean _your headquarters_?"

"Of course they are _my headquarters_," Cammy countered heatedly. "I wouldn't be here if they weren't."

"And I wouldn't be here if they were indeed Delta Red's." Vega's voice sounded muted behind the mask, but Cammy detected a hint of frustration in them.

The assassin suddenly straitened from his crouch and prowled forward, eyes fixed on Cammy.

"Show me those blue prints," he ordered.

"Stay back," Cammy hissed "I'll look at them myself. And don't try anything funny."

Behind his mask Vega chuckled. "I'm not known for doing _funny_ things. Very well. Look at the blue prints yourself. I have a feeling however that they are neither Delta Red's nor the blue prints that I am after."

Cammy opened the documents and studied them briefly. When she looked up, her disbelieving blue eyes met Vega's. "They're fake. And that means…"

"…it's a trap," Vega finished.

At that moment the door burst open and armed guards swarmed inside. Without hesitation they opened fire.


	3. Chapter 3

Cammy and Vega took cover behind the overturned table. A few bullets grazed the side of the table, but the rest didn't even come close. The barrage stopped and an authorative voice rang out: "Come out with your hands in the air and we will not shoot."

"They're not trying to kill us it seems," Cammy whispered, more to herself then to the Spaniard next to her. Vega glanced her way. "For the moment," he muttered in reply.

"I repeat: come out with your hands in the air and we will not shoot." the captain of the armed guards commanded.

Cammy turned to look at the assassin next to her, her face determined. She whispered: "I go left, you go right. We'll attack simultaneously. On my mark: one…two…"

Vega's eyes locked with hers. Cammy couldn't see his expression but she assumed it was an angry one. "Not even Bison…" Vega began indignantly, but Cammy cut him short. "Do it."

"Now!"

Vega rolled away from the cover of the table, mirroring Cammy's roll on the other side. Swift as the snake tattooed on his body, Vega tore into the guardsmen, leaving destruction in his wake.

The guards clearly hadn't anticipated this joined attack and it took them some time to recover, time that Cammy used to her full advantage. She smashed into the captain of the guard and downed him with a few well-placed kicks before he even realized what happened. Her style was brutal and efficient and got the job done quickly.

Vega, on the other side, fought in an entirely different way. His speed and agility was frightening. The Spaniard buried his claw into the throat of a guard and used his hold to vault over. Then he ripped his weapon free and slashed open the belly of another.

Cammy finished off the last guard on her side and saw Vega do the same on his. She grimaced when she noticed the carnage around the Spanish assassin. Remarkably only his claw was dripping with blood, not a speck of red on his clothes or bare torso. She wondered…would even his mask…

Vega sensed her looking and turned in her direction. She couldn't help herself and giggled. Yep, even his mask was pristine. Now how did he manage that?

Vega narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance. For a moment he looked ready to continue the fight he started with her. Would he attack?

Suddenly Vega broke eye contact and stalked off, to the door of the room. Before she realized what she was doing Cammy stepped forward to stop him. "Wait. Shouldn't we…"

The Spaniard whirled around to glare down at her. He was tall and imposing up close. Not to mention creepy because of the blood dripping off his wicked claw. Vega surprised Cammy by removing his mask and for a moment she forgot who was actually standing before her.

His long blond hair fell over his eyes in an enticing manner. His face was perfect really. Smooth and unmarred. His eyes were like twin sapphires and beautiful to look at. But clearly he didn't like being ordered around, because he was looking at her with a very angry expression.

* * *

Vega ground his teeth. What was it with this woman that disturbed him so? Even Bison choose his words carefully when addressing him and here he was; taking orders from…from…her.

Yes, she was very pretty, but that was the only thing that kept him from dismembering her. Or was it?

He knew her alter ego, Killer Bee, well enough. Occasionally he had even worked with her when she was still under Bison's thrall. But even then she intrigued him. Vega always believed that beauty should not be caged. It should be seen by all, marveled at by all. And Killer Bee was definitely an imprisoned individual that he felt had to be released…

He shook himself mentally. He shouldn't bring up those memories. Not now. With effort he got himself under control and relaxed his muscles.

To throw her off he said: "I believe this is not the time, nor the place to become entranced by my beauty."

Yes, that worked like a charm. She blinked and scowled at him. "Never mind," she snapped and brushed past him to open the door.

Right at that moment Vega's sensitive ears picked up a sound. He whirled around and saw how a guard stretched a shaky hand towards a small case, with buttons, on the belt of his comrade. Vega cursed Cammy for fighting so humane. When you don't kill off your opponent immediately, this is what happens, he fumed. He sprang forward swiftly and buried his claw into the man's chest. It moved through bone and sinew as if it was butter, Vega noted with satisfaction. The body spasmed violently and the guard coughed up blood. Unfortunately the arms moved with the spasm as well. As if it was a cruel twist of fate the hand fell on the button. Then the guard died with a wet gurgle.

For a moment Vega stood perfectly still and silence descended upon the room.

Then, the alarm in the complex blared to life, followed by a computerized female voice: "emergency at section 9, room 12-b. Investigate immediately. I repeat: emergency at section 9, room 12-b. Investigate immediately."


	4. Chapter 4

Vega donned his mask and ran for the door. Cammy had already opened it and stood in the hallway, looking left and right. When Vega reached her she darted right, so Vega decided he'd go the opposite way. Petty, yes, but right now he couldn't care less.

Silent and swift, he ran through the hallway. It was a long corridor of grey concrete without any doors. He hadn't studied the layout of the complex much beforehand, instead relying on his own skills to get back out. But now that the whole blue print mission had been a set up by S.I.N., Vega concluded that this one time his vanity had gotten the better of him. He could use a blue print of this base right now.

Either way, this mission would have been a success if it wasn't for that _woman_ to alert the guards and complicate things even more.

This was precisely why he liked to operate alone. Partners were always a hindrance or screwed up altogether. He could only rely on himself to get the job done.

Up ahead he saw the corridor bend to the left. Almost simultaneously he picked up the grating sound of a heavy steel door moving. A few moments later a resounding boom confirmed that very same door had been firmly closed.

They were trying to trap him.

When Vega reached the corner he carefully looked around it and was immediately greeted by a hail of bullets. The assassin jumped back to the relative safety of the hallway and cursed in Spanish. Another peek resulted in a new volley. It seemed like the guards had different orders now: if capture was not possible then shoot with wild abandon. Again he cursed that woman. It was all her fault.

Vega decided to run back. Cammy was probably already gone so he shouldn't even encounter her anymore.

* * *

Cammy discovered she had problems of her own. She came upon a T-junction leading east, away from the center, and knew that was the way out. She passed a few doors left and right, but curbed her curiosity to check any of them.

When she saw the hallway bend in the distance she slowed to a walk to take a moment to listen. And it was a good thing that she did. Around the corner she heard a myriad of booted feet marching her way. And they were probably armed to the teeth too. Cammy wasn't so sure that they would still ask nicely to surrender. She turned on her heel and headed back to the center of the complex, hoping to find another way out.

She ran across the corridor and breathed a sigh of relief when she finally saw a door. Suddenly a lone figure passed her at high speed and nearly bowled her over: Vega. She hadn't expected to see him again.

The Spaniard however, ignored her completely and dove for the door. He pulled it open and darted in, closing it behind him.

_That bastard_, Cammy thought, but she had no choice. The booted feet were getting closer and seeing the haste that Vega was in he was probably being pursued as well. She opened the door and found herself in a large storage room full with ammunition.

Rows upon rows of gun shells, ammo cans and racks with weapons surrounded her and she found herself staring. There were also large steel boxes with a familiar orange label warning for the explosives inside. The air was dry and she immediately felt its effect: she coughed when she inhaled and her eyes itched.

"Close the door and barricade it," Vega commanded from the other side of the room. Cammy, seeing the wisdom in it, grudgingly complied. She began to move heavy crates and placed them before the door; one upon the other. Then she glanced at Vega to see what he was actually doing.

The Spaniard had found a ventilation shaft and was prying the grate off. His mask was off again. Well, she would have used the ventilation shaft to escape if _he_ hadn't come barging in like he did, Cammy thought irritably. She put another crate on top of the third for good measure and started towards the ventilation shaft, until suddenly her eye fell upon a collection of remote ignition devices.

* * *

Carefully Vega lowered the heavy grating to the ground, just as the door of the room was being opened. Cammy had done her job well however, and the door didn't budge. But where was the Delta Red agent now?

He found Cammy standing over a table at the back. It was littered with devices and she was rifling through them, setting a few aside. Vega rolled his eyes. It was her funeral. But the moment he decided to leave, Cammy was done with positioning the selected devices and ran towards him.

Outside the door he heard voices shouting and arguing. Apparently they were not keen on shooting themselves inside with all the ammunition in this storage room. _Just as well_, Vega thought. _It is time to leave._

He vaulted up into the ventilation shaft and heard Cammy do the same behind him. He couldn't resist and, while crawling through the shaft, said:

"You know this is your fault don't you? If you hadn't been so soft with the guards this never would have happened."

Cammy grunted in reply. "So you're saying I should be a coldblooded murderer like yourself? No thank you. You might not be able to comprehend, being the coldblooded killer that you are, but I am a compassionate person with feelings. I will not willingly murder an individual if I can help it."

"…I am not…"

"…and besides," Cammy went on blithely, "I am not only a compassionate person, I am also the brains of 'Operation get-out-of-here-alive.'"

In the tight space of the shaft, Vega still managed to turn and glare at Cammy. "You know you really…"

But the infuriating woman cut him off again. "See what I have here?" She held up a remote device while smiling triumphantly.

Seeing as he couldn't argue with her anyway Vega refrained from answering and instead resumed crawling. Cammy wasn't in the least offended and explained nonetheless.

"It's a remote ignition. You see, I've set up a receiver in the ammunition room and activated it. Now all I have to do is turn the ignition key and BOOM! Bye, bye facility."

Vega had to admit it was a good plan, but he would never tell her of course. Vega wasn't sure why, but the comment that he wasn't able to comprehend stung. What was she referring to? And why did those words bother him so? Normally, nothing fazed him. People could tell him all manner of things and he couldn't even care less. He was very adept at keeping people at a distance.

The only one whose opinion mattered was that of Mr. Bison himself. Once in a while he needed to hear that he had done well. Craved it actually, but it ashamed him to admit that to anyone. But Cammy's opinion shouldn't matter. It shouldn't matter at all. Why then, couldn't he forget her comment or did he felt the need to explain that she was wrong about him?

With effort he pushed those disturbing thoughts back so he could concentrate on getting out. He wasn't there yet and the guards in this complex could still capture him or, more likely, kill him. Bullets were no match for martial arts he noted sourly.

Further back he heard the crash of something heavy colliding with the door of the storage room. The echo reverberated through the shaft. Apparently the guards had abandoned their subtle pushing and decided that opening the door with force was worth the risk.

He picked up the pace. Behind him, Cammy crawled silently along, as determined as him to get out of here alive.


	5. Chapter 5

For some reason Cammy trusted the Spaniard to find the way out of the ventilation shafts. She padded behind him, following whenever he turned left or right. Finally she felt a rush of cold air coming from up ahead. She looked past Vega and noted with relief that they had almost made it out of the complex.

A rusty looking grate blocked the exit, but Vega didn't seem to think it was a problem. He put on his mask, donned his claw and lashed out at the bindings that kept the grate in place. Sparks flew and the bindings came loose, but the grate was still firmly lodged in place. Vega turned around, tucked in his legs and unleashed a mighty kick. This time the iron grating gave way and tumbled to the ground below with a loud clatter. Vega didn't waste time. He was out in a second and made a beeline for the stone wall surrounding the complex.

Cammy took a deep breath and then followed his example. As soon as she touched down however, guards swarmed out of the complex and into the courtyard. Without hesitation they opened fire. Cammy knew full well she was no match for bullets and she ran for her life.

Up ahead, Vega had reached the outer wall and vaulted over with ease. Cammy planned on doing the same, but the moment she jumped a bullet struck the concrete wall right next to her, showering her with debris. Startled and all too aware of her own mortality, Cammy slammed into the wall instead of grabbing the top. Flailing wildly she tried to get another grip, but she felt herself sliding down again. And the guards came ever closer.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist, supporting her. Cammy looked up and saw Vega's icy blue eyes bore into hers. Then, without saying a word, he pulled her up and over the wall and into safety.

Breathing heavily, Cammy held up the remote ignition. Vega narrowed his eyes at her, eager to move on, but Cammy gave him a wicked grin.

"Now, they will pay," she told him and, without further ado, turned the ignition key. The response was immediate. A heavy, muted boom shook the facility and a plume of fire shot up into the night sky.

"Time to leave", Cammy said, and ran for the safety of the trees. While she ran more explosions followed in quick succession. Large chunks of stone and concrete were hurled into the air and the heat of the blazing fire behind her was scorching. Finally she reached the edge of the forest and Cammy turned around to watch the spectacle.

The darkened skies were lit up by a ravenous inferno, belching heavy black smoke into the Alaskan air. Through the smoke, red and orange flames performed a sinister dance, casting flickering shadows all around. It was a beautiful, but lethal display.

"Well, that was an interesting mission." Cammy muttered, while watching the fireworks.

"It was a complete waste of time."

Cammy was surprised to hear Vega was still there. She had expected him to leave as soon as possible. But then again, she hadn't expected him to help her either. She turned around to face him. Once again, his mask was off. He looked a bit disheveled, but she was probably too.

"Thank you," she said.

Vega lifted a delicate eyebrow. "Thank you for what?"

"Well…ehm…you caught me. You could have left me to the guards, but you didn't. So…thank you."

Vega stared back, expression unreadable, and Cammy realized he had no idea how to respond to something as simple as a 'thank you'.

Cammy sighed, turned her back on him and looked at the conflagration instead. He was a complicated one, she decided. He was a murderer, the enemy and she hated him for that. But today he made her see just how short sighted such a view actually was. She had heard the rumors. That Vega had been the one to save her from Bison's clutches so she could become who she was now. Was that the reason he was more inclined to help her, because of their shared past? How much did he actually know about her? Who was he really underneath that mask?

"Beautiful," Vega murmured, off to her side.

His soft voice was gentle and startled her out of her reverie. Cammy wasn't sure to whom or what the comment was directed. Strange, how she wasn't in the least afraid of him. She looked over her shoulder but all she saw was the darkened forest behind her. The Spanish assassin had simply disappeared without making a sound.


	6. Chapter 6

The Delta Red office was teeming with activity. All members were chatting and laughing and Cammy was asked to tell her exciting adventure again and again. For some reason she had left Vega out of her story, although she didn't really know why. Her friends wouldn't have understood anyway.

Colonel Wolfman had been very happy to see she was back in one piece. He had actually even apologized for the mission because it was his duty to make sure the information he gave was correct. He should have seen through S.I.N.'s deception and he would never forgive himself if his finest agent had been killed.

Cammy had waved the apology away. She was back and she was alive. She had even destroyed the S.I.N. complex in the process. And to top it all off she was still back in time to enjoy the fireworks on New Year's Eve.

When it was almost twelve 'o clock the Delta Red members counted off the last of the seconds together. Right on cue, spectacular fireworks lit up the London skies and her friends toasted and amused themselves greatly.

But although Cammy was laughing along and had a good time, she was still wondering about Vega. Where was he now? Was he enjoying the fireworks as she was, or was he back at Shadaloo, receiving another mission from Bison?

More than ever she realized that she was lucky to have found such good friends. She had a good life and a good job. She had been given the chance to better her life, to erase the sins of her past. Had it really been Vega to make that all possible for her? It was almost too hard to believe.

Would she see him again in the future? Did she want to? And dared she ask him these questions that had been on her mind since she had been found on Delta Red's doorstep? And if his answer was 'yes', then why did he do it? What could possibly have been his motivation?

Cammy walked towards the window and looked down upon London city. Perhaps she would never get the answers, she mused. But then again: were the answers really necessary? She was free and she had friends. That was what really counted she decided. Not what you did in the past, but what you made of the now. She needed to forget about Vega and move on.

* * *

Vega stood in his apartment, staring out over the Spanish city. The lights were off, because none were necessary. People were dancing in brightly lit streets and celebrating New Year's Eve. A dazzling display of fireworks was taking place before his very eyes, but Vega didn't see any of it.

Instead he saw himself standing before Bison, telling him, with growing irritation, that his mission had been a trap. That he could have been captured or even killed.

And Bison had laughed. He had laughed at the ingenuity of Seth's plan, at the beauty of it. How Seth had fooled Bison into believing the Shadaloo blueprints had been stolen. The master of Shadaloo wasn't in the least concerned about Vega's wellbeing. He had returned and that was that. In fact, it had been Vega's responsibility to gather all the intelligence necessary. Therefore it was his fault, not Bison's.

Right now there weren't any more assignments, so Vega was free to do as he wished. Fuming, Vega had left and returned to his apartment in Spain to wait out Bison's next assignment. He had been dismissed like a common lackey. Bison didn't care about his wellbeing at all. He was a pawn, nothing more. A pawn that delivered excellent work, yes, but in the end, Bison only cared about himself.

Now, standing before the windows of his apartment, Vega wondered. If Cammy were here…would she have cared?

He dismissed the idea quickly however. Thinking about Cammy. What was wrong with him?

Vega felt discarded, agitated. He had to let go of his pent up anger. He wasn't thinking coherently because of his restlessness. He turned from the window and slipped back into the darkness of his apartment. With growing anticipation he put on his mask and attached his claw. Yes, he definitely needed to release some of the rage boiling within. Silent as a shadow Vega left his apartment.

And when he came upon his intended victim he made sure he took his time enjoying himself.

**The end. **


End file.
